NaNoWriMo: Why it's cool, why it's not for everyone, and why that's okay

This was my first year participating in NaNoWriMo. Here are some rambling thoughts on my own experiences and what I think of the 'competition.'

Why it’s cool: 

There is a group of people who will tell you that NaNoWriMo is pointless because no one in the publishing field will read your work. Or worse, they claim that the competition is giving non-writers the unlicensed right to feel like real writers for a month, and that all they may produce is shit. First, give the finger to all those people, then read on…

NaNoWriMo is cool simply because it encourages you to write, to be creative, and to stare at the dragon beast that is the white page and conquer it one word at a time. We need art. It’s part of being human. We soak up the art around us every day, sometimes unknowingly, and it makes us who we are. 

Inside every one of us is the ability to tell a story. Is that story necessarily meant for the world to see? Maybe not. Could be that it’s meant for you alone, whether you like it or not. But don’t despair. Realize how many people have talked about ‘that novel I want to write one day’ but how few have actually written it. You’re in a select group now. You’re a writer regardless of whether you have a book deal or not. And if you enjoyed the process, you can always write another, and then another (and it doesn’t have to be written in November either). You’ll get better over time, trust me. Maybe when you reach that fifth book, you’ll have something truly worthy of sharing with the world. Or you know, you could you be that genius who gets it right the first time. In which case, you scare me. . . But really, what I mean to say is that art matters. So, if you can, give some art back to the world. And if the world’s not ready for it (or if you’re not ready for the world), then at least your art has enriched your life in some way, and that matters perhaps more than anything.

But there’s also this togetherness to NaNoWriMo. The ‘competition’ is mostly devoid of actual competition, at least with your peers. It’s more like a marathon where everyone’s cheering each other on. The finish line is all that matters, no matter who reaches it first. There’s something awesome and rare about that kind of a creative community.

Will many WriMoers see their books available at Barnes & Noble one day? No, but I think we all knew that already going in, and the people who want to claim the competition is about getting published miss the point. Imagine a world where we actively discouraged our youth, our friends, our family, to avoid doing anything creative. That’s some awful dystopia shit right there. But we don’t live in that world. NaNoWriMo is proof of that. So, that’s cool.

Why it’s not for everyone:

There is something about NaNoWriMo that I do not like. It’s this idea of winning. I mean, I get it’s a competition of sorts, but I think it could potentially send the wrong message to certain new writers that if they fail, then they must not be cut out for the whole being a writer thing.

Speaking personally, the idea of writing every day is nothing new to me. I tend to write with chapter goals in mind as compared to a word count, but I rather liked the NaNoWriMo site’s daily count doodad. And while I think the whole NaNoWriMo thing was exactly what I expected it to be, I found that I wrote in a way totally unlike myself, and I’m not sure if I liked that. 

Driven by a force that I’ve not yet come to identify, I wrote every day in November at a speed that I was not accustomed to. At first, I thought, ‘well this is great!’ But then comes that point in nearly every novel I write, where I gotta stop and look at things as the story threatens to derail itself.

Except in NaNoWriMo, with a clock ticking on me, I didn’t give myself what I deemed the appropriate amount of time to reexamine what the story was meant to be and where I wanted it to go. I worked like a hungry shark, fearful that if I stopped going forward, I might sink to the bottom and die. 

Disclaimer: I don’t enjoy rewriting much. This is something I mean to work on as a writer, but for now it’s just who I am. When my story’s done, I like it to be relatively well groomed, so that the editing process goes more smoothly. . . I’ve never written a sloppier book than I did this November. I already want to edit it, but I know it’s too soon (wait 3-4 weeks to edit your finished manuscript—doctor’s orders). I accomplished what NaNoWriMo asked of me, but there’s this emptiness I feel, because the book’s not quite what I wanted it to be when I started it. 

I came to this conclusion that a writer should be suspicious of deadlines, but personal goals are something to be actively encouraged. 

NaNoWriMo is a great but flawed thing. It encourages us to tell the story we want to tell, but doesn’t grant enough freedom to the storyteller. 

Listen: Writing is a very personal craft. We all do it a little differently, which is why the ‘rules’ on how to write a great book are mostly to be ignored. There should be no rules on how you write your work day-to-day, or a sense of failure if you do not reach the number at the end of the month.

Ultimately, NaNoWriMo may not be for you. Don’t be discouraged if you wrote less than the competition asked of you in November. I ‘won’ the competition and got a little certificate to print up and put my name on. Also got this, check it: 

Yeah.

In no way does that certificate prove I’m a better writer than the ones who couldn’t reach 50,000. Someone else who took three months to complete their novel instead of three weeks might’ve produced something much better than I did. Really, I’m certain of it.

I think that if you’re already pretty comfortable with writing, then NaNoWriMo will be useful to you if you need something egging you on and keeping you honest about your daily writing. It can potentially instill good writing habits into your daily routine.

It could also potentially lead you to despair because the idea of ‘losing’ is never a good thing, especially when the competition isn’t totally fair to begin with. 

I guess I mean to say that you should NaNoWriMo at your own risk.

…and why that’s okay:

You didn’t get your book finished in November? That’s cool with me. It should be cool with you. The little badge thing that NaNoWriMo gives your profile page for 50,000 words is overrated, like a toy thrown into a cereal box. IT’S THE CEREAL THAT MATTERS!

It’s cool to be able to say that you wrote a complete book in a month’s time. I mean, holy shit, what an accomplishment. But it’s just as cool to say you wrote your book your way, even if writing it spilled over into the next year a little bit.

Some writers actively hate on NaNoWriMo for an abundance of reasons. Some of their reasons I can even agree with, but mostly I feel like we should just let it be.

There exists a competition that encourages people to write, to interact, and to build something with their MIND POWERS. That’s so cool. Lots of the participants in NaNoWriMo may not write at any other time of the year and that’s fine. November means something to them that it may not mean to the rest of us who think about writing every month of the year. Don’t ruin it for them. 

There are lots of things I don’t like about NaNoWriMo. I’m not even totally satisfied with my own experience with the project, despite the fact that I did everything they asked of me. But let’s not forget that it’s a powerful motivational activity for a great many people. 

Let the WriMos go on WriMoing. 

For those still fighting to finish before the 30^th. . . 

I believe that there’s still plenty of time for most of you to get your work done before December’s arrival. But if you don’t make it, that’s fine. Don’t beat yourself up about it. 

I do ask that you keep writing in December, though. Hell, if it keeps going on into 2014, that’s fine, too. Keep writing until you finish your thing. 

If there is one thing that I’d like you to take away from all my rambling, it is this:

The requirement for every book should not be the length of time it takes to finish it, or the number of words hidden between the covers, but rather the fact that it says THE END on the final page.

Finishing your work is what matters most.

And writing THE END feels so damn good.

I’m done now.

THE END.

NaNoWriMo First Impressions

First impressions: This ain’t so hard! … and then comes the slow realization that I have roughly 20 more days of this to look forward to … Oh God, no. 

So, I’m on my second day and I have roughly 6,449 words so far. Not too shabby, I guess.  Gonna do more work tonight. It’s not often I catch onto the pulse of my story so quickly. It’s just working this time.

Whether or not I can keep up this pace though, I’m not so sure… The beginning of the story is clear in my mind. The middle is fuzzy. The end? I don’t have an ending yet. HA! This is not gonna go well.

Usually I like going into a new book with it pretty clear in my head, but with it not so set in stone that it’s boring to write. I like to think of it as if it’s a movie I watched a few years ago. I remember many of the big scenes and cool directions the story goes in, but I can’t remember all the finer details. I’m sort of in that mode with this story, but it’s fuzzier than usual, like a film I saw a some years ago while drunk or something. 

Still, I’m glad I’m participating this year. It’s fun to be involved with all these others and compare our mental breakdowns as we rush towards that finishing line thingy.

If you want to track my progress or become writing buddies, check out my NaNoWriMo profile.

Brain Mold FREE October 26th - 28th 2013

My novel Brain Mold is free today! It'll remain free through Monday the 28th! Get your copy while this sale lasts!

Looking for a fast-paced horror novel in the days leading up to Halloween? BRAIN MOLD.

Looking for a free book that you may or may not read but you want to get it while it's free anyway? BRAIN MOLD.

Looking for a book called Brain Mold? BRAIN MOLD.

So ends my sales pitch.

--K

www.kyle-warner.com

I'm now signed up for NaNoWriMo 2013

I’ve decided to take part in NaNoWriMo for the very first time this year. Sounded like a good idea at first, but now that I’m committed it sounds terrifying. WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

I’ve written multiple novels before, but never under such a deadline as this. I really think I can do it, though… Probably… Maybe… Oh hell, I’ve made a mistake and it’s too late to back out now…

*sobs*

The novel I will be working on is a prologue of sorts to a series of dark urban fantasy books I will be publishing soon. Title: The Intended Death. Or something.

If you want to add me as a buddy or track my progress as I descend into madness, you can find me here:

http://nanowrimo.org/participants/kyle-warner

Best of luck to all others participating this year! I hope to see you all at the finish line thing.

— Kyle

WRITING ADVICE YOU NEVER ASKED FOR, FROM AN AUTHOR UNFIT TO GIVE YOU NONE

I've been writing a long time but I'm not done learning. I believe I get better with every book I write and I still go to other writer sites for advice. These are just a few things I have learned in my writing. Take from it what you will.


1) Write the book that you want to read. Chances are you go to the bookstore (LOL, I mean Amazon) with a certain kind of book in mind. Maybe you're easily satisfied with a certain genre of choice, but sometimes you're looking for a very particular kind of book. Chances are, that book hasn't been written. It exists somewhere deep inside you, like a wonderful, literary parasite in your brain – dig it out, put it into words, and share your parasite with the rest of us. . . Ick. Anyway. Don't follow trends as to what's selling. That stuff changes so quickly that even the big wigs can't keep up with it. Write YOUR book, that one you wish was on the bookshelf next to your favorites—that's the one we want to read. 


2) Limit the bullshit as much as possible. Your first draft has too much bullshit. Mine does, too. I think everybody's first draft has too much bullshit. As writers, we're always trying to SAY SOMETHING when often times the characters are saying it all for us. Go through your manuscript, look for bullshit, and cut it out. Sometimes bullshit is beautiful—the prose, the wonderful meaning it represents, and so on. If you're in love with a certain piece of bullshit – indeed, if you love it so much that you don't think it's bullshit at all, but rather BRILLIANT WRITING – then keep it. You know best. But often times this sort of writing sticks out. It smells bad. It's like the literary equivalent of an ingrown toenail just waiting for a table leg. Get surgical.


3) "Write what you know" is like a quote from scripture—everyone has a different idea as to what it means. I'll tell you my idea of what it means. I used to think it meant something very oppressive. Like, if you're a cop, write a crime novel. If you're a doctor, write a medical thriller. If you're a janitor, write. . . a janitor thriller. If this is how that piece of old advice was meant to be read, then that's madness. It's wrong and I feel I can confidently assume that it has ruined the dreams of many an aspiring author over the years. . . I see it like this. I love science fiction and horror. I grew up on books and movies of those genres. I'm one step ahead of the scientist's doubletalk in a piece of sci-fi and I know when the decapitated head is gonna show up in horror. I KNOW these genres. So, I write what I know. I do not however think it is wise for me to write a legal thriller. I liked Boston Legal, but I'm not confident enough to tackle that genre. My legal thriller would have to feature monsters in the courtroom in order for it to work. Nor am I ready to do chick-lit, cozies, romances, police procedurals, and so on. I don't know them like I know what I know. I write what I know I know. Simple? Simple.


4) You'll develop your voice over time. If you're not there yet, don't worry. It'll happen—like puberty! But don't you dare try to mimic someone else’s voice. Nothing feels more inauthentic than trying to be someone else in your writing. I mean, go right ahead pretending to be someone else in real life. That's what I do. But your writing must be honest, it must be YOU. It's even worse if the reader figures out who you're trying to be, because not only then are you found out like a masked bandit, but you've perhaps insulted a reader who is also a fan of the writer you're emulating. . . Listen: You're writer, right? You're goddamn unique already. Don't go trying to smother that under the mask of someone else. Be yourself, it's why we like you. I mean, shit. I thought that was obvious.


5) Use caution writing characters much smarter than you are. Now, your own experiences may vary, but I've found that writing brilliant characters only makes me look dumb because, well, I'm not brilliant. And thus, how can I expect anyone to think my characters are brilliant? I'm just posing and so are my characters. Again, this is just something I have learned about myself and my own writing. You're probably wiser than me, maybe you're even a genius. If so, write your own Sherlock-ish hero and make your money. I will weep and hold Lady Jealousy close. She's the only one who truly understands me!


6) Reading a lot is required for any writer, but you already knew that. I think that movies are important, too. Personally, I've learned a great deal from film. People always say listen to the conversations around you to learn how to write dialogue. This is true, but most conversations we're privy to aren't made up of rich, dramatic material. While I don't recommend that you steal lines from a movie you saw, I do think it's wise to listen to how the characters speak. What lines simply can't be pulled off when spoken aloud? How does line delivery and timing alter a dramatic/funny conversation? How does tension escalate as the conversation goes on? Learn that stuff. There are so many books I read with dialogue that simply couldn't be spoken aloud without a few snickers in the audience. A reader hears voices in his head when reading your words. Make it like the movies, writer friend. Give your characters lines that can be spoken out loud without ridicule.


7) Keep your writing brisk, your paragraphs short, and your rambling under control. People are becoming increasingly impatient and their attention is divided in every direction. I mean, I admit to being an impatient reader. If I'm bored with your prose that seems to be going nowhere, I might skim ahead to the next bit of actual character movement or dialogue. I know I'm bad, but I'm not the only one. Trouble is, before you had to deal with readers who skimmed your work, now you've got worse things to worry about. More and more people are reading their books on tablets (like me!). Unlike a trusty paperback, tablets can do more than just turn from one page to the next. Now you're competing with twitter, tumblr, email, and Fruit Ninja. You have to hold their attention like a vice, making sure they don't minimize their reader and go slice up watermelons. The best way to do this is to keep things going at a good pace and keep the paragraphs short so as not to tempt an impatient reader to look elsewhere.


8) Be bold. If you've got two ways of doing a scene, go with the original, daring choice every time. Not everyone will like it. Some people will hate it, others simply won't understand it. But the right people will dig it. They'll love you for your daring and these are the sort of readers you were after in the first place. There's little use to playing it safe, unless you're writing cute puppy stories. If you're writing cute puppy stories, then by God, play it safe. The cute puppy story crowd will burn you alive if your final chapter ends with the cute puppy in the jaws of an alligator. It's just not done, son. But if you're writing a dramatic piece of fiction, some clouded window to the way that you see the world, then give us all you've got. We can take it.


9) Some people need to write in silence. I get it. The voices in your head may be a quiet bunch, unable to speak out over the television set, the crying baby, or your favorite rock album. I say this: if music soothes your muse's soul, then crank it up. If the TV isn't a distraction but rather a bit of white noise for the background, then turn it on. You know best. There's no rule against it. We're all different. Me, I like listening to instrumental music with my writing. I try to create a soundtrack for my novel, often picking scores that evoke a similar mood to the story I'm working on. It works for me, it might work for you.


10) Write every day. It's difficult, I know. I don't mean you should write the same amount every day. That's too much to put on you. But you really must write every day. Two main reasons! One, you'll keep the flow of the story going. Character motivations can be lost if you don't visit them every day, and characters drive your plot. So, without a rich, motivated character, your plot is gonna have trouble. Plus, you gotta finish this thing sometime soon before you forget why you started it in the first place. Secondly, I've found that the more you write the more you want to write. Truth! It becomes something you'll look forward to, like a little piece of the day that you need to get done in order to feel like the day was not wasted. The more you write the better you get at writing, too. There's really no downside to writing every day. . . other than cutting out a few hours from your social life, carpal tunnel syndrome, loneliness, talking to yourself, knowing your created characters better than your family and friends. . . but basically, there’s no real downside. . .

First post

Confession: the blogging concept terrifies me a bit. I don’t really want to talk at length about myself to the dark, quiet abyss that is the internet. It’s like when those dudes in the past talked to a hole in a tree and covered that hole with mud. That’s probably the future of my blog — a tree with mud in its hole.

I’m a writer. For years I said I was an aspiring author, but after a while I figured screw that, and I’ve cut out the ‘aspiring’ bit. I write about monsters, infectious molds, angels, demons, and a great assortment of other weird and fantastic stuff that’s not all too common in this world of ours. Recently I decided to self-publish, and my first book Brain Mold is currently available exclusively for Amazon Kindle. Look, a link!

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Mold-ebook/dp/B00EQ0GHHU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381378739&sr=1-1

With Brain Mold I wanted to write a little horror story sort of like the works of some of my favorite genre masters, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, George A. Romero, and well, maybe a bit of Stephen King, why not? It tells the story of a town isolated by a massive blizzard and the infectious mold spores carried on the winter winds. Breathing in these spores renders the infected in a state of euphoria while their bodies begin to break down and liquefy internally. It’s a contagion horror thriller where the infected are the only ones having a good time. It’s bloody, it’s ooey, it’s gooey, it’s my first original novel for public consumption. Check it out and tell me what you think!

I will have more fiction available before the year is out and I plan to be in this for the long haul — which is why I’m here. I think the big, scary word for writers just starting out is PLATFORM. I hear it everywhere. It scared me before I even knew what it meant! So, basically, it means a writer can’t toil away beneath the stairs cranking out book after book anymore. Now we gotta go online and create a successful PLATFORM in order to attract readers. It’s a new world for me, man. I expect to make a fool out of myself in the beginning, but whatever. This is the game and I shall play it!

I think there was more that I had wanted to say… I wanted to add something that made me seem cool, but I can’t remember anything along those lines. I guess I’ll finish my introductory post with how I should have started it…

Hello, I’m Kyle. I am a writer, a film buff, a Bears fan, and a somewhat reluctant blogger. In the coming days—weeks—months I’ll try to add some content to this here blog space. Maybe some writerly posts, some comments on books and film, plus the occasional rant, and a few glimpses into my head.